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AWG E-MAIL NEWS 2002-14
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CONTENTS:
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: CHRYSALIS WINNERS
1) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MONTHLY REVIEW: APRIL 2002
2) AGI RELEASES 2001 REPORT ON THE STATUS OF ACADEMIC GEOSCIENCE
DEPARTMENTS
3) WASHINGTON WIRE: MAY 1, 2002
4) CHANGES TO AWGF BOARD
5) FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR GRANTS, 2003-2004
6) AWG PHILLIPS PETROLEUM COMPANY DISTINGUISHED LECTURE PROGRAM
7) MARKETING EARTH SCIENCE EDUCATION
8) NEWS RELEASE: NUSTAR RESOURCES INC.
Gold mining exploration & development.
9) POSITION OPENINGS
2002-27 Indiana University, Department of Geological Sciences
2002-28 Program Director, Ocean Drilling Program. National Science
Foundation (NSF)
10) CONTACT INFORMATION
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Thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue of E-mail News
*** CHRYSALIS WINNERS ***
It is with great pleasure that AWG announces the winners of Chrysalis
Scholarships for 2002. They are:
Nancy E. Bowers, who is studying for her doctorate at the Scripps
Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, California.
Nancy's dissertation involves analysis of paleomagnetic data from the 10
million year old sea floor of Anomaly 5 and
from newly accreted sea floor at the ridge crest; and
Penny M. Taylor, from the Department of Geosciences at the University of
Houston. Penny's dissertation investigates
the possibility of using non-marine carbonate precipitates to learn
something about climate conditions of the past.
It is always a difficult task to choose from among the wonderfully
talented women who apply for a Chrysalis each year.
The unique and interesting life stories of each applicant are truly
inspiring, and we applaud their dedication, enthusiasm,
and hard work. The Board of Directors and I wish AWG's 2002 Chrysalis
winners every success as they continue their
education and careers in the geosciences.
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1) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MONTHLY REVIEW: APRIL 2002
* Senate Passes Energy Bill, Next Stop House-Senate Conference
* Yucca Mountain: House Panel Votes to Override Nevada Governor
* Science at EPA Getting Mixed Signals, Fellowships Threatened
* AAPG Testifies on Oil and Gas Assessment Methodology
* Geoscientists Respond to Snub in EPA Proposed Rule
* FCC Rule Inhibits Use of Ground-Penetrating Radar
* UN Climate Panel Gets New Leader
* Minerals Management Service Releases Next Five-Year Leasing Plan
* AGI Provides Testimony in Support of NSF, USGS, DOE Programs
* Geotimes Special Policy Issue Features EarthScope
* AGI Selects New Congressional Science Fellow
* New Material on Web Site
*** Senate Passes Energy Bill, Next Stop House-Senate Conference ***
The Senate spent much of the past three months debating its version of
comprehensive energy legislation (S. 517) before taking a final 88-11
vote on April 25th. The large number of supporting votes reflected a
desire by both the Senate leadership and the White House to complete
action and move to a House-Senate conference. The administration and
congressional Republicans hope to use the conference to restore key
provisions found in the House counterpart, H.R. 4. Senate conferees have
already been announced and the House is expected to make its
announcement in the first half of May. Unlike its House counterpart,
which passed that chamber last August, the Senate energy bill does not
include a provision opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)
to oil exploration. Instead, the bill calls for opening a natural gas
pipeline from the North Slope of Alaska to the state's southern coast.
The Senate bill contains $14 billion worth of tax incentives for energy
efficiency and increased domestic energy production, heavily weighted
toward renewable energy sources. The House bill, passed last August,
includes $33 billion in tax breaks with a greater emphasis on incentives
to increase production from more traditional energy sources. An AGI
Special Update comparing the two pieces of legislation will be sent out
in the first week of May. More at
http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis107/energy.html.
*** Yucca Mountain: House Panel Votes to Override Nevada Governor ***
On April 8th, Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn (R) submitted his Notice of
Disapproval to Congress, signaling the state's official objection to the
proposed Yucca Mountain high-level nuclear waste repository site. As
provided by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, Congress has 90
remaining questions about the repository. The General Accounting Office
and Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board also provided testimony on the
status of DOE site investigations. Both of Nevada's representatives and
Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) testified against the resolution. A week later,
the committee voted 41-6 in favor of the resolution, paving the way for
a vote by the full House in early May. More at
http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis107/yucca.html.
*** Science at EPA Getting Mixed Signals, Fellowships Threatened ***
Congress has taken a strong interest in elevating the role of science at
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but the agency's own interest
is less certain. Last year, Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) introduced
legislation, the Strengthening Science at the EPA Act (H.R. 64), that
would establish a new Deputy Administrator for Science and Technology at
the agency. On April 30th, the House passed the bill by voice vote,
sending it to the Senate for consideration. In a House Science
Committee press release, Ehlers states that he believes the bill "will
be a big step forward in ensuring the scientific accountability of EPA
decisions." Meanwhile, one of the few programs within EPA targeted
specifically at environmental science is faced with elimination in the
president's budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2003. EPA did not
request funding for the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowship
program, which funds graduate research in a range of disciplines. An AGI
staff analysis suggests that nearly twenty percent of the 800
fellowships issued since the program's inception in 1995 have gone to
projects in earth science-related disciplines. EPA budget documents
state that "funding for EPA's STAR Fellowship Program was eliminated in
FY 2003 as part of a larger effort to increase environmental science
education programs at the National Science Foundation." But the NSF
request did not specify funds for such fellowships. In the meantime,
students who applied for the coming year all received letters from EPA
stating that only existing fellowships would be funded and no new ones
would be issued. The National Council for Science and the Environment is
heading up a campaign to help protect these fellowships from
elimination. More information at
http://cnie.org/NCSE/SciencePolicy/?FID=1682.
*** AAPG Testifies on Oil and Gas Assessment Methodology ***
At a hearing on April 18th, the House Energy and Mineral Resources
Subcommittee addressed the methodology used to assess domestic oil and
gas resources on public lands. The hearing was prompted by a RAND
Corporation report: "Assessing Gas and Oil Resources in the
Intermountain West: Review of Methods and Framework for a New Approach".
RAND is the original "think tank" with much of its work funded by the
federal government and particularly the military, but this particular
study was commissioned by the Hewlett Foundation. The report criticizes
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and other agencies for using
technically recoverable resources as the basis for reporting assessment
results. Specifically, the RAND report criticizes such an approach for
failing to fully account for economic factors controlling resource
availability. Testifying on behalf of the report was Debra Knopman,
Associate Director of RAND Science and Technology, who was one of the
authors. She called for assessments to report economically "viable"
resources. American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) Secretary
Charles J. Mankin told the House that "technically recoverable resource
is the correct base to use when making policy decisions on competing use
of federal lands. Although further analysis of this resource base is
perfectly justified depending upon policy issues to be addressed, only
the total resource base can be used to balance against other competing
social and environmental uses or preservation of these lands." Mankin is
Oklahoma State Geologist and Director of the Sarkeys Energy Center at
the University of Oklahoma. Witness testimony can be found at
http://www.house.gov/resources/107cong/energy/2002apr18/agenda.htm. The
RAND report is at http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1553.0/.
*** Geoscientists Respond to Snub in EPA Proposed Rule ***
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed "paperwork
reduction" regulations that recognize only Professional Engineers and
Certified Hazardous Materials Managers for a number of responsibilities
under the Resources Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Those
responsibilities include the authority to sign off on issues related to
hazard waste generation and treatment-storage facilities, frequency of
inspections of hazardous waste tanks, training requirements, paperwork
approval, treatability studies, and facility contingency plans. During a
public comment period for the proposed rule, AGI and several of its
member societies submitted their concerns on the proposed regulations,
arguing that EPA was disregarding certified and licensed professional
geologists. In, the proposed regulations, EPA extends authority to
Certified Hazardous Materials Managers, having previously recognized
only Professional Engineers. The original proposal announcement was
issued in the Federal Register on January 17, 2002 (Vol. 67, No. 12).
*** FCC Rule Inhibits Use of Ground-Penetrating Radar ***
Geophysicists are up in arms over a ruling by the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) that would essentially eliminate most commercial
applications of ground-penetrating radar (GPR), a widely used technology
for imaging buried objects. According to an FCC press release, GPR
would be limited to frequencies below 960 MHz and between 3.1 to 10.6
GHz, and its use in those ranges would be "restricted to law
enforcement, fire and rescue organizations, to scientific research
institutions, to commercial mining companies, and to construction
companies." Under the rule, consulting companies and many other
private-sector geophysicists would not be qualified users of GPR
instrumentation. Moreover, opponents of the ruling argue that numerous
GPR applications need the prohibited frequencies to properly image
objects such as conduits beneath concrete runways. GPR proponents also
argue that the FCC ruling jeopardizes the use of this technology for
safety purposes such as identifying buried power and gas lines. The
principal driver for the FCC action appears to be concern from the
Department of Defense that GPR could interfere with military wireless
Global Positioning System units. Complicating matters is FCC's view that
the new rule is in fact a relaxation of existing rules, implying that
many current uses of GPR -- many of them on behalf of the federal
government -- are already illegal. A number of groups, including several
AGI member societies, are working to challenge the FCC ruling.
Additional information on their efforts can be found at
http://www.g-p-r.com and http://www.radar-solutions.com. The FCC press
release is at
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/News_Releases/2002/nret
0203.html.
*** IPCC Gets New Leader ***
Marking a transition point for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC), the group has elected the current IPCC Vice Chair, Dr.
Rajendra Pachauri of India, as the new Chairman. Pachauri replaces Dr.
Robert Watson of the World Bank, who was seeking a third term but was
opposed by the Bush Administration. A former Clinton White House
official, Watson oversaw the IPCC's Third Assessment Report. The United
Nations Environment Programme established IPCC in 1988 "to assess the
scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for the
understanding of the risk of human-induced climate change." Unlike
Watson, Pachauri is not an atmospheric scientist; his area of expertise
is economics and technology. He will chair the group as it prepares for
the fourth assessment on climate change, which is expected to be
released in 2007. The IPCC press release can be found at
http://www.ipcc.ch/press/pr20042002.htm.
*** Minerals Management Service Releases Next Five-Year Leasing Plan ***
The Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS)
announced in the April 19th Federal Register that it has issued a
proposed final five-year program for outer continental shelf (OCS) oil
and gas leases. MMS issued its draft plan last October, along with a
draft Environmental Impact Statement. The plan would schedule 20 leases
in eight OCS regions over the next five years. According to the MMS
press release, the only change made in the final proposal is one that
would effect two lease sales in the Chukchi Sea/Hope Basin area (off the
northwestern edge of Alaska) that would be designated as "special" lease
sales. Under this type of sale, MMS would issue a request of interest
for each year of the 5-year plan. If industry expressed an interest,
then MMS would continue with the normal leasing process; otherwise, if
no interest was expressed, then the sale process would end. MMS
submitted the plan to Congress and the White House, setting the stage
for Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton to finalize the plan and put
it into effect starting on July 1, 2002. More at
http://www.mms.gov/5-year/.
*** AGI Provides Testimony in Support of NSF, USGS, DOE Programs ***
On April 16th, the American Geological Institute (AGI) provided both
oral and written testimony in support of the National Science
Foundation's geoscience programs to the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on VA, HUD & Independent Agencies. Like earlier testimony
submitted to the subcommittee's Senate counterpart, the testimony
expresses concern over the president's requested program transfers and
calls for enhanced support for core programs in the Geosciences
Directorate. The testimony also calls for expansion of the Major
Research Equipment account to accommodate both existing projects and the
requested new starts, including the EarthScope initiative (which is
featured in the April issue of Geotimes at
http://www.geotimes.org/april02).
On April 4th, AGI provided written testimony to the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies in support of budgets for
the U.S. Geological Survey, the Department of Energy's Fossil Energy
Research and Development program, and other geoscience-related programs
within the subcommittee's jurisdiction. The testimony urges the
subcommittee to reject proposed cuts to these programs. The text of
these statements is on the AGI web site at
http://www.agiweb.org/gap/testimon.html.
*** AGI Selects New Congressional Science Fellow ***
AGI is pleased to announce the selection of Larry Kennedy as the
2002-2003 AGI Congressional Science Fellow. He will succeed current
fellow David Curtiss, who is serving on the staff of Rep. J.C. Watts
(R-OK), chairman of the House Republican Conference. Kennedy is
currently pursuing a masters degree in hydrology at the University of
Nevada, Reno following a 15-year career in mineral exploration. Prior to
entering the mining industry, he received a Ph.D. in geology from the
University of Western Ontario and a B.A. in earth science from Wesleyan
University. Kennedy will join fellows from GSA, AGU, SSSA, and more than
twenty other science and engineering societies for an orientation
session in September followed by placement in the office of a
representative, senator, or congressional committee for the following
year. The AGI fellowship is supported by a generous grant from the AGI
Foundation. More on the fellowship at
http://www.agiweb.org/gapac/csf.html. The May 2002 issue of Geotimes
includes a column by David Curtiss on "Becoming a Standard Bearer"; see
http://www.geotimes.org/may02/scene.html.
*** Geotimes Special Policy Issue Features EarthScope ***
The April 2002 issue of Geotimes is the seventh annual special
geoscience and public policy issue. The cover story describes the
EarthScope initiative, the first-ever earth science project to be
requested as part of the National Science Foundation's Major Research
Equipment account. A related Political Scene column addresses the
challenge faced by the geoscience community in turning the president's
budget request for EarthScope into actual appropriations. The second
feature focused on the role of geology on Native American lands,
particularly the role of the USGS. The Comment is by Rep. Sherwood
Boehlert (R-NY), chairman of the House Science Committee. Most of these
articles can be found on the web at http://www.geotimes.org/april02/.
** New Material on Web Site **
The following updates and reports were added to the Government Affairs
portion of AGI's web site http://www.agiweb.org since the last monthly
update:
Energy Policy Overview (4-26-02)
High-Level Nuclear Waste Disposal (4-26-02)
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Update (4-20-02)
Summary of Hearings on Brownfields (4-12-02)
AGI FY 2003 House Appropriations Testimony on NSF (4-16-02)
State Challenges to the Teaching of Evolution (4-10-02)
AGI FY 2003 House Appropriations Testimony on USGS and DOE Fossil Energy
(4-4-02)
Reformulated Gasoline and MTBE (4-3-02)
Geotimes Political Scene: Turning a Request into Reality (4/02)
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2) AGI RELEASES 2001 REPORT ON THE STATUS OF ACADEMIC GEOSCIENCE
DEPARTMENTS
ALEXANDRIA,VA - AGI has released the 2001 Report on the Status of
Academic Geoscience Departments, which describes and analyzes
enrollments, employment trends of recent graduates, faculty demographics
and other department characteristics at degree-granting geoscience
departments in the United States.
The 2001 Report on the Status of Academic Geoscience Departments is the
result of a comprehensive survey conducted by the American Geological
Institute in 2001. Over 700 geoscience departments in the United States
were included in the 2001 survey. "Close inspection of the findings
presented in the 2001 Report reveals many of the factors - and
uncertainties - that have a bearing on the future of the geoscience
profession," commented Marcus E. Milling, Executive Director of the
American Geological Institute.
The 2001 Report focuses on the following topics: geoscience enrollments
and degrees granted; employment trends of recent graduates; faculty
ranks; faculty teaching specialties; geoscience theses and dissertation
topics; research funding support; and geoscience employment by employer
category, age and gender. For some topics - employment trends, faculty
ranks, and research funding support - the report shows comparisons with
results from the 1999 Report. For other topics - faculty teaching
specialties, geoscience theses and dissertation topics, employment by
employer category and age and gender distribution in the workforce - the
report shows changes over a greater period of time.
The free 12-page 2001 Report on the Status of Academic Geoscience
Departments is available online in PDF format at
http://www.agiweb.org/career/rsad2001.pdf. AGI also produces two
companion online publications, the Guide to Geoscience Departments
containing detailed information on almost 200 college and university
geoscience departments and the Guide to Geoscience Careers and Employers
highlighting information on all aspects of geoscience employment. Both
of these free online publications are accessible from the web site
http://guide.agiweb.org.
The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 40
scientific and professional associations that represent more than
120,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other earth scientists. Founded
in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a
voice of shared interests in our profession, plays a major role in
strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public
awareness of the vital role the goesciences play in mankind's use of
resources and interaction with the environment. More information about
AGI can be found at http://www.agiweb.org. The Institute also provides a
public-outreach web site, http://www.earthscienceworld.org.
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3) WASHINGTON WIRE: MAY 1, 2002
The latest edition of the Washington Wire has been posted at
Topics for this wire are:
International
*New World Court to Judge Gender-Based War Crimes
*World Bank Pushes `Education for All'
*World Health Organization (W.H.O.) Moves to Make AIDS Drugs More
Accessible to Poor Worldwide
Government
*House Appropriators Express Strong Support for FY 2003 NSF Funding
*Marburger Speaks at AAAS Colloquium
Health
*Sex Hormones Raise Breast Risk in Older Women
*Some Herbs Can Mimic Estrogen
Education and the Workplace
*First Hispanic Woman Is Named to Lead University of California Campus
*Gender Differences in Math Interest and Performance
*NASA to Send Teacher to Space in 2004
*New Study Paints Portrait of Women in Technology Careers
Announcements
*U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao Announces Launch of ENews for
Working Women
*Ruth Rogan Benerito is Honored with the Lemelson-MIT Lifetime
Achievement
Award for Invention
*The Exceptional Merit Media Awards (EMMAs) Ceremony to be Held May 8
*Lifetime Television Promotes Petition for Sexual Assault Testing
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4) CHANGES TO AWGF BOARD
Rachael Craig will begin a new position at NSF on May 20, and will
officially resign her position on the board of
the AWG Foundation at that time. The new list of directors will be as
follows:
Martha F. McRae - Vice-President, December 2001 - Fall 2003
mmcrae@lgc.com
Judith (Judy) A. Dozier - Secretary, April 1998 - Fall 2002
geolass@charter.net
Ann I. Guhman - Treasurer, December 2001 - Fall 2003
aig@chorus.net
Tania H. Brice Coffin - Past President, April 1998 - Fall 2002
coffin@cheshire.net
Sarah J. Stoll - Director, Fall 1999 - Fall 2002
sjstoll@aol.com
Suzanne O,Connell - Director, Fall 1999 - Fall 2002 - AWG Northeast
Chapter
suzanne.oconnell@trincoll.edu
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5) FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR GRANTS, 2003-2004
The Fulbright Scholar Program is offering 9 lecturing, research, and
lecturing/research awards in Geology for the 2003-2004 academic year.
Awards for both faculty and professionals range from two months to an
academic
year.
While many awards specify project and host institution, there are a
number
of open "Any Field" awards that allow candidates to propose their own
project and determine their host institution affiliation. Foreign
language
skills are needed in some countries, but most Fulbright lecturing
assignments are in English.
Application deadline for 2003-2004 awards is:
*August 1 for Fulbright traditional lecturing and research grants
worldwide
For information, visit our Web site at www.cies.org
.
Or contact:
The Council for International Exchange of Scholars
3007 Tilden Street, N.W. - Suite 5L
Washington, D.C. 20008
Phone: 202-686-7877
E-mail: apprequest@cies.iie.org
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6) AWG PHILLIPS PETROLEUM COMPANY DISTINGUISHED LECTURE PROGRAM
"One hundred mammoths in a hot tub," "What's on the bottom of Lake
Champlain?," "Having it all: career, family, and amateur sports." Sound
intriguing? These are just a few of the titles
of talks that speakers in the AWG Phillips Petroleum Company
Distinguished Lecture Program are prepared to give
to academic institutions, science clubs or organizations, or state
geological surveys.
The program, supported by a generous grant from the Phillips Petroleum
Company, is just one way that AWG has
been trying to achieve its goals of encouraging the participation of
women in the geosciences; exchanging
educational, technical, and professional information; and enhancing the
professional growth and advancement of
women in the geosciences.
Currently, about 75 women are listed as speakers in the program. The
topics of their talks vary widely and cover just
about all of the disciplines of the geosciences, including seismology,
hydrology, planetology, oceanography,
paleontology, mineralogy, glaciology, tectonics, geomorphology, and
geochemistry. In addition, several women are
prepared to talk about their career paths or how they ended up in their
professions which should be especially
interesting to undergraduate students trying to map out their own paths.
All academic institutions, science clubs and organizations, and state
geological surveys are among those eligible to
apply for funding to host a speaker. Funds may be awarded to cover
travel, meals, and lodging up to $500.
For more information about the speaker program, to be listed as a
speaker, or to find out how to host a speaker, visit
AWG's website at www.awg.org or contact the speaker list coordinator,
Susan Mockler, at smockler3@yahoo.com.
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7) MARKETING EARTH SCIENCE EDUCATION
The following is based on an article by Roel Snieder of the Department of
Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines
and Chris Spiers, Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, The
Netherlands. The final IGCP 328 report is
published as Blieck & Turner eds. 2000. Courier Forschungsinstitut
Senckenberg 223, 575pp. available from
Senckenberg Museum.
In the 1990s, the Department of Earth Sciences at Utrecht University in
the Netherlands was struggling with a
declining influx of students. For years, the department had been active
in promoting its program, but this was
insufficient to stem the decline in interest. To remedy the problem, the
school's earth science faculty carried out,
with the help of consultants, a qualitative evaluation of its promotional
activities. The faculty feared that their own
image of the department might be in conflict with the image held by
others, prospective students in particular. This
is what they found.
Why Choose Earth Sciences?
Many of the faculty members who now work in the department chose their
field because of an interest in the earth
sciences. However, the evaluation demonstrated that the driving force for
the present generation of prospective
students is different. Today, future prospects for a successful career is
the major motivation when choosing a field,
and the perceived success of a career is usually measured in terms of its
financial rewards.
A few students chose their field because they had a particularly
inspiring teacher in secondary school. In general,
however, students do not choose a field because it is interesting or
socially relevant. This observation was in strong
conflict with the department's attempts to attract students by trying to
convince them how interesting and socially
relevant the earth sciences are! Most of the potential students were not
familiar with the earth sciences. Many
equated them with physical and social geography. Because of the poor
reputation of these fields among high school
students, the earth sciences were seen as an unattractive option.
The Image of the Earth Sciences
The people interviewed were asked about their image of the earth
sciences. They usually identified them as an
interesting mix of indoor and outdoor activities, with an international
outlook. Some noted the multidisciplinary
aspect of the earth sciences and viewed this as attractive.
Unfortunately, these positive images were far outweighed
by the following negative impressions:
"The job opportunities are poor and confined to research positions."
"Other career options are limited to oil companies that continuously lay
off personnel."
"Earth science students are nerds."
Most shocking was the image of the earth scientist: "The earth scientist
is male; he is single or married to a partner
who shares his interest; he is a devoted researcher unaware of what
happens in society; he does not care about his
appearance; he is ambitious and idealistic."
Other negative comments referred to the distinction between sub-
disciplines such as geophysics, geochemistry, and
hydrology within the earth sciences, which was perceived as confusing and
therefore unattractive.
In summary, the surveys findings indicated that:
* The department was trying to attract students by showing how
interesting the earth sciences are, whereas today's
students are primarily interested in career opportunities.
* A clear image of the earth sciences is lacking among prospective
students, and
* Earth scientists are not a group to which students would like to
belong.
These findings led to the following recommendations for improved
recruitment:
* Do not promote the field primarily by pointing out how interesting or
relevant it is. Instead, focus on career
opportunities.
* Make students aware of the broadness of the earth sciences, the
financial aspects of a career in the earth sciences,
and the various commercial opportunities that exist in addition to a
career in research. (A dialog between
universities and the oil industry may be needed to shed the latter's
negative image as an employer.)
* Highlight the aspects that are viewed as attractive. These include the
opportunities for field work, the
multidisciplinary aspects, teamwork, and the dynamic and international
aspects of the field.
* Inform people about what the earth sciences are: most people don't
know. Write articles for popular journals, visit
primary and secondary schools, and work with secondary school teachers to
incorporate aspects of the earth sciences
into their teaching.
* Geoscientists need to shed the "nerd" image. Attention needs to be paid
to appearance: dress as modern
professionals rather than greasy scientists, and shave off those beards!
Show examples of earth scientists with
successful and important careers, and provide female role models.
Follow-up
The findings of the survey were shocking to the department faculty. In
fact it was difficult to convince them how far
off past recruitment efforts had been in terms of getting students to be
interested in careers in the earth sciences. For
this reason, the company that carried out the survey and analysis was
asked to make a video compilation of relevant
parts of interviews. The resulting video proved necessary to make faculty
members step away from their own ideas
and appreciate the points of view of potential students.
As a result of this study, the faculty worked hard to provide students
with more specific information about career
opportunities, and promotional material was redesigned and simplified. A
huge poster was made that listed
employers of students who had graduated. People were amazed by the
breadth of career opportunities!
In addition, the faculty realized that other earth science departments
experienced the same problems, so rather than
compete with them for the few remaining students, a collaboration was
begun to attract more students to the earth
sciences. At this point, the new approach seems to be paying off. At
Utrecht University, earth science is the only
scientific field that has seen a yearly growth of about 10% in the influx
of students during the past two years.
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8) NEWS RELEASE: NUSTAR RESOURCES INC.
Gold mining exploration & development.
April 30, 2002
The TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing the agreement
dated March 15, 2002, for the acquisition of a 100 percent
interest in two lode mineral claims, Lisa and Christmas South,
comprising a total of 29 contiguous units in the Clinton Mining
Division of British Columbia, Canada.
The claim area was first staked in 1983 for E&B Explorations Inc.
around some old workings that returned anomalous gold values
in the range of 0.047 - 0.202 oz/ton from pyritic volcanic rock
exposure samples. During the period, 1983-84 E&B performed
fieldwork including limited rock and soil geochemistry and some
geological mapping. The property was optioned to Ming Mines
Limited in 1985 whereby they earned a 50 percent interest in the
property by 1986 for financing exploration work including
grid-controlled mapping, soil silt and rock geochemistry, VLF-EM
and magnetometer surveys. In 1987 a joint venture between E&B and
Ming was formed with Mascot Gold Mines Limited as the operator.
An induced polarization (IP) survey was performed over portions of
the property and areas of interest were encountered. Since that
time the property remained intact and dormant due to a variety of
circumstances, but mainly the three P.'s: price, politics and
patience. During this period the property never underwent a
drilling program. This year, the current claim owner brought
the property to Nustar and made a deal.
The Company intends to pursue a vigorous exploration approach to
the project which will first include a qualified, independent geological
summary of the exploration work carried-out to date, a study of the
results obtained, knowledgeable conclusions and recommendations
to the Company on how best to approach the next exciting phase of
any exploration project, that is drilling!
The Company would like to confirm official closing of this transaction
and disclose that the expiry date, of the hold period on the shares to
be issued to the vendor of the property (see News Release dated
April 2, 2002) will be April 23, 2003.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
James W. McLeod, President
Phone: 604-943-3083
The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved
of the information contained herein.
Disclaimer.
A third party paid to have this information sent out. This is for
information purposes only and is not a solicitation to buy or sell
securities. Purchasing stock in a low priced issue such as Nustar
is very risky and can result in the investor losing all or part of his
money. Investors should never invest more than they can afford to
lose. Investors should get the advice of a registered representative
or registered investment advisor before investing in any stock. The
mining business is risky and the chances of finding a commercially
viable property are very slim. Insiders of Nustar may buy or sell
stock in the open market at any time without notice. This letter
was not produced by a registered investment advisor.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
9) POSITION OPENINGS
2002-27 INDIANA UNIVERSITY
Department of Geological Sciences
The Department of Geological Sciences invites applications for a
post-doctoral position in geobiology at Indiana University. Appointment
will be for one year, beginning August 1, 2002.
We desire an individual who is broadly interdisciplinary and will provide
research linkages between geobiology and any other area of geological
sciences, or between geobiology and other scientific disciplines. The
successful candidate will be expected to teach an advanced undergraduate
or
graduate course in geobiology in either the fall semester, 2002 or the
spring
semester 2003. A Ph.D. or equivalent in a relevant discipline is
required.
Salary will be $32,000 per annum, and will include an additional $2,000
in
research support.
Review of applications will begin on June 1, 2002; position will remain
open until filled. Candidates should address directly how they will link
geobiology with any other area of geological sciences or with any other
scientific discipline in their letter of application. Candidates should
submit their application letter, curriculum vitae, and a list of four
references (including addresses and phone numbers) to:
Dr. Christopher G. Maples, Chair
Department of Geological Sciences
Indiana University
1001 East Tenth St.
Bloomington, IN 47401 USA
"Indiana University as an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer
encourages the candidacies of women and minorities"
******************************
2002-28 PROGRAM DIRECTOR
OCEAN DRILLING PROGRAM
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF)
NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences is seeking qualified applicants for the
position of Program Director in the Ocean Drilling Program. This position
is
excepted from the competitive civil service and will be filled on or
about
Spring 2002 on a permanent basis.
Alternatively, the position may be filled under the Intergovernmental
Personnel Act (IPA). IPA applicants must be permanent, career employees
of
their current employer for at least 90 days prior to entering into a
mobility
assignment agreement with a federal agency. Reimbursement of salary and
other
related cost are negotiated between NSF and the individual's institution.
The Program Director has primary responsibilities that involve the NSF
management and oversight of the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) on both a
national and international basis. The Program Director directly manages
implementation of the ODP through contracts and other arrangements and
participates in planning, oversight, and representation of the program on
agency, national and international levels. He/she will also have
responsibility for coordinating planning and expenditure of program
resources
within the NSF ODP program.
Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent experience in marine
geosciences,
marine engineering, or a related disciplinary field. Six or more years of
experience beyond the Ph.D. and a broad understanding of the current
status
of the relevant U.S. academic scientific community and its relationship
with
NSF, other federal agencies, and international planning efforts are also
required. Applicants should also have demonstrated experience in
management
of scientific research programs. Experience with the Ocean Drilling
Program
planning and operational structures will be of benefit, but is not a
requirement for the position.
Interested applicants must submit a letter of application and a vita to
the
National Science Foundation, Division of Human Resource Management, Attn:
Myra Loyd, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Suite 315, Arlington, VA 22230; and
reference
vacancy announcement E20020104 Perm, E20020072A Temp or call 713-292-
4363.
For technical information, call Dr. Bruce Malfait, Marine Geosciences
Section, 703-292-8581. Hearing-impaired individuals should call TDD at
703-292-8044.
NSF is an equal opportunity employer committed to employing highly
qualified staff that reflects the diversity of
our nation.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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